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New war film
set to break Hawaii
spending record
'Windtalkers' could bring more
than $35 million to the islandsBy Tim Ryan
Casting call for 'Windtalkers'
Star-BulletinWAR has become big business this year for Hawaii's film industry.
The World War II action-drama "Windtalkers," directed by John Woo and starring Nicholas Cage, may spend more than the $35 million that the "Waterworld" production dropped on the Big Island, setting a state record for movie or television spending.
Disney's "Pearl Harbor," which just completed about four weeks of filming here, may have spent as much as $20 million, although final production expenditure figures have not been completed.
"There's definitely the potential for this film to spend as much or more in Hawaii than 'Waterworld,' " said Walea Constantinau, Honolulu film liaison for the city and county. "Definitely, 'Windtalkers' will be the most spent on Oahu by a film company."
"Windtalkers" will be shot on Oahu Aug. 14 to Dec. 23, perhaps longer. "Waterworld" spent a year filming on the Big Island in 1993. "Mighty Joe Young's" three weeks on Oahu accounted for $10 million in spending."Windtalkers' " budget is rumored to be more than $100 million, although no one with the production or MGM has publicly talked about it.
Woo, who most recently directed Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible 2" and Cage in "Face/Off," visited Hawaii in May with a small number of production executives for a technical scouting of film sites. Most of the film locations will be on private and state property and military sites, sources said.
The production is renting a state-owned warehouse at Barber's Point Harbor for parking and storage. Some filming is expected at Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station. Plans to film as many as 30 days on Lanai appear scrapped, primarily because of budget and logistics, sources said. Woo and company especially liked the island's Munro Trail because of its similarity to Saipan, which Ha-waii is portraying in the film.
BASED on historical events, "Windtalkers" depicts a unit of about 450 Navajo radio men who used a derivation of their native language to encrypt radio messages in the Pacific Theater of World War II.
The code was indecipherable to the Japanese, and the "code-talkers" were credited with altering the direction of several key battles, including Iwo Jima.
In the story, the Marines come up with the idea of using the Navajo language, which is so complicated that few non-Navajos speak it. Bodyguards were assigned to protect the code-talkers; but, if the Navajos were threatened with capture, the bodyguards' job was to kill them to protect the code.
Cage portrays a Marine charged with protecting the Navajo Carl Yahzee, played by Adam Beach. The Canada native is a North American Indian from the Saulteaux tribe, but is not a Navajo.
Beach is best known for his portrayal of Victor in the Native American-themed drama-comedy "Smoke Signals." He's also had roles in Disney releases "Mystery, Alaska" and "Squanto: A Warrior's Tale."
"The story is about these men who don't understand each other, but get to know each other and work together," Woo said earlier this year. "It's a story about friendship and honor."
John Rice and Joe Batteer wrote "Windtalkers" for producers Woo, Terence Chang, Tracie Graham and Alison Rosenzweig.
Tammy Smith, "Windtalkers'" extras casting director, expects to hire 2,000 to 3,000 people during the filming. Smith also cast 500 extras in "Waterworld."
The film will use as many as 700 people on any given day, though normally fewer than 100 will be used, she said.
A core group of 50 frequently used civilian "young American men" will be trained in a "pseudo boot camp," Smith said.
There will be several re-creations of World War II battles.
"This is a very, very patriotic American film," Smith said. "We see Japanese soldiers in battle, but the film is not about that. It's about the relationship between a Marine and a Navajo."
Casting sessions for the MGM feature film "Windtalkers," starring Nicholas Cage, will take place later this month and next in separate locations for civilians and military. Extras sought for production
The production wants to use as many servicemen as possible, said Tammy Smith, extras' casting director.
Salary is $60-$100 a day. Bring a small photograph, or one will be taken at the audition.
Casting sessions will be June 24 and 25 at Fort Shafter's Richardson Theater, Building 500; and July 8 and 9 at Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station's Enlisted Club. Hours are 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. For more information, call 953-2444.
Casting sessions are July 5-7 at Ward Warehouse, Kakaako Conference Room, second floor, 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. For more information, call 953-2440.
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